VO-TECH SCHOOL GROUNDBREAKING SET

Construction of a new regional vocational school will begin with a formal groundbreaking ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

School officials, corporate partners, state legislators and the public are invited to attend the event at the site of the Cape Girardeau Vocational-Technical Center near the Silver Springs Road and Kingshighway.

A $14 million bond issue was approved in 1997 to cover a number of construction costs, including a new vocational-technical school. The new center rests on about 75 acres. It will be joined by a high school campus if voters approve a second $14 million bond issue.

"This new state-of-the-art structure is finally becoming a reality," said vocational school director Harold Tilley. "We will be offering programs to meet the educational and training needs to residents in our region."

The vocational school originally served high school students throughout the region. Today, students of all ages may attend the center to receive literacy instruction, sharpen academic skills or receive special certification in various areas, Tilley said.

More than 9,000 students attended one of 75 programs at the school last year.

"We serve people of all ages in all walks of life," he said. "We offer secondary education, customized training for business and industry, adult basic education, training and retraining of adults for the job market, specialized certifications and assessments plus short- and long-term educational programs."

Tilley said the ceremony has been in the making since planning began for a new vo-tech school more than three years ago. The building, scheduled to open in fall 2001, will cover nearly 120,000 square feet and will allow programs such as culinary arts and auto mechanics more instructional space and equipment.

The building will cost nearly $11 million to complete.

The vocational center will house classes taught in the Area Vo-Tech School at 301 N. Clark St. The old building, a brick and masonry structure built in 1967, will be used as office and storage space.

The new school is needed to relieve overcrowding in the old vo-tech school. In the past, the district has had to lease space in the community to offer programs that employers are requesting.

Eleven corporate partners -- including corporations, colleges, banks and hospitals -- have made financial contributions to the new center that will be used to purchase equipment and instructional materials.

"This could not have been possible without the voters in our community and our corporate partners," Tilley said. "We hope to be able to do something in the future to acknowledge them for the help they continue to provide."